Holland to host Celtic festival

A new festival celebrating Scots-Irish culture is coming to West Michigan.

The Holland Waterfront Celtic Festival & Highland Games will be held from 7-11 p.m. Friday, June 24, and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, June 25, at Window on the Waterfront, 85 E. Sixth St. in Holland.

The two-day festival is co-founded by Craig Rich and Peter Grimm and will feature Scottish and Irish games, food, beverages, music and dance.

“We are attacking this with all the energy that we can possibly give it,” Rich said. “We want this to be a huge success for our community to have something brand-new to celebrate.”

Festivalgoers are encouraged to wear their Celtic regalia, including kilts, shirts, clanwear, jewelry and textiles.

Ceilidh, a traditional Scots-Irish gathering, will be held on Friday. There will be musical bands and a temporary pub. Saturday will be comprised of nine Highland athletic games with men’s and women’s divisions. Some of the games include heavy rock throwing, hammer tossing and caber tossing.

Food tents and trucks will offer fish and chips, Irish stews, shepherds pies and Scottish meat pies. Scottish clans will be on-site, and people can learn about their Celtic roots and find their Scottish clan or Irish sept.

There will be music and dance stages where Irish bands and Scottish and Irish dancers will perform throughout the day.

Vendors and retailers can register here to set up space at the festival.

More information about the festival is available here.